Translating Propaganda: John Buchan’s Writing During the First World War

John Buchan’s race through life, chased by his only foe—illness

“…He was also frantically busy. Not only did he retain ‘the same output in non-war books’ as he did ‘throughout his career’, but was also, alongside his war-front writing, prodigiously producing ‘the first eight volumes of Nelson’s History of the War ’ (Macdonald 2010, 38). In addition, he delivered public speeches on the war, several of which were ‘reprinted in aid of benevolent associations’ (Macdonald 2010, 39).…”

“…Not only did he retain ‘the same output in non-war books’ as he did ‘throughout his career’, but was also, alongside his war-front writing, prodigiously producing ‘the first eight volumes of Nelson’s History of the War ’ (Macdonald 2010, 38). In addition, he delivered public speeches on the war, several of which were ‘reprinted in aid of benevolent associations’ (Macdonald 2010, 39). In 1916, he was writing Greenmantle , its narrative following on from The Thirty-Nine Steps , and had given indigestion to his American character Blenkiron, describing his condition ‘so realistically that a London surgeon wrote bidding Buchan himself hasten off to the Mayo Brothers’ Clinic’ (Smith 1965, 256).…”

“…During a family spring cruise to the Azores to take a break from his busy schedule in 1913 while he was writing The Power House , ‘a novella written in the clubman style’ (Macdonald 2010, 34), in serialised form for Blackwood’s Magazine , Buchan fell ill again with gastric pain (Galbraith 2013, 25). It was not until late October 1914, though, that Buchan’s stomach problems were diagnosed as a duodenal ulcer by Sir Bertrand Edward Dawson (1864–1945), a physician to the British Royal Family, including four successive monarchs, and President to the Royal College of Physicians from 1931 to 1937.…”

“…Unsurprisingly, in 1917 Buchan was made Director of Information, in charge of propaganda, 2 years after The Thirty-Nine Steps was published. By this time, after a long and circuitous writing route taking two decades of relative obscurity and modest financial reward, detailed thoroughly by Macdonald (2010, 27–107), he had learnt how to write adventure stories that would inject enthusiasm, hope and daring courage into his readers, who loved his exciting, if scarcely believable, stories. These stories would have helped to ease his frustration of being rejected by the army and diverted his need to be part of the action onto his heroes.…”